Garden Update Podcast - Week of 8/15/16 - S1E14

About this Episode

Garden Update Podcast - Week of 8/15/16 - S1E14

As I discussed in my most recent Workout Plan Update, I am changing how I am rolling out posts and podcasts for Small Scale Life.  I am going to post Workout Plan Updates at the end of the week (looking forward to the next week) and Garden posts at the front end of the week.  I will post podcasts in the middle of the week.  Other posts will pop up as I write them.  Since I haven't posted an update in a month, I am posting a Garden Update Podcast, post and videos.  It is time to talk about success, failures, pests and blight.  It has been a learning year in 2016!
I outline what is happening in each garden bed below, so if you want to hear the podcast, skip ahead to the very end of the article!

Garden Bed 1
[caption id="attachment_930" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Garden Bed 1 continues to be the flagship raised bed in the main garden - 8/14/16[/caption]
Garden Bed 1 has four varieties of tomatoes, red onions, basil and cucumbers in it.  This is my longest bed, and it has traditionally been my tomato planter.  Below is an assessment of the plants in this raised bed.
 Plant
Assessment 
Opalka Roma Tomatoes
3 of the 4 plants are doing VERY well with a lot of fruit
I removed the 4th plant since it was not showing any fruit
I added a volunteer that was hiding in the parsley in Bed 4 to replace the unproductive plant
Amish Paste Tomatoes
These plants are growing tall and strong
Two are over 8 feet tall and have several tomatoes on them
San Marzano Roma Tomatoes
Plants are growing taller and showing several tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Showing several tomatoes and growing taller
Good production for being in the shade
Basil
Removed all plants on 8/14/16 due to Downy Mildew
Cucumbers
These plants are growing and starting to bear cucumbers
Not as productive as the cucumbers in the wicking bed
Red Onions
Critters have devastated my red onion crop.
I have learned to install fencing on my beds for the future

Garden Bed 2
[caption id="attachment_931" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Garden Bed 2 is an exercise in chaos thanks to some pole beans that were mixed with the bush bean seeds - 8/14/16[/caption]
Garden Bed 2 is a mish-mash of climbing plants.  It wasn't supposed to be that way.  This bed was supposed to be sugar snap peas and bush beans. Unfortunately, some pole bean seeds were mixed in with the bush beans, and the pole beans are going crazy. I also added two extra tomato plants to the bed as well.  Below is a summary of this garden bed.
 Plant
Assessment 
Bush Beans
The bush beans have been productive
They are being choked out by the pole bean plants
Harvest tomorrow
Pole Beans
These plants arte starting to fade in the late summer heat
They have been productive due to screening and shade from the pole beans
Harvest tomorrow
Cherry Tomato
Plant is growing taller
Starting to show fruit
San Marzano Roma Tomatoes
Planted late in the season
Starting to show fruit

Garden Bed 3
[caption id="attachment_932" align="aligncenter" width="514"] Garden Bed 3 should be brimming with onions and garlic this year. Note: should be....8/14/16[/caption]

Garden Bed 3 is my 3'x8' bed.  I grew potatoes in this bed last year, and this year it was going to be my garlic and onion box.  It started out splendidly, but as of mid-August, it has not performed as I anticipated.  Here is a summary of the plants and performance of this garden bed.  The bottom line is that this bed needs a fence!
Plant  
Assessment 
 Garlic
Garlic was transplanted into this bed early in the season
Garlic grew in the spring and early summer
Most garlic was harvested; small heads
Two garlic plants remain in the bed
Yellow Onions
Critters have been digging in this bed this season
Yellow onions have been dug up as the animals dig
Remaining yellow onions do look good
Peppers
Transplanted late after the garlic was harvested
Rabbits have eaten most of the leaves on these plants

Garden Bed 4 and 5 and Vertical Garden
[caption id="attachment_935" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Garden Bed 4 and 5 with the Vertical Garden in happier and healthier times - 7/21/16[/caption]

Between the vertical garden and Garden Bed 4, I had about 150 basil plants in my garden.  I harvested about 9 gallons of basil and created a ton of pesto and pasta/soup starts.
Unfortunately, I did not notice early warning signs of downy mildew as I harvested the basil.  We had some big rain storms, and when I looked at the garden last week, I noticed that many of the plants were suffering from the mildew.  I removed the plants on 8/14/16 and salvaged what I could.  The crop was almost a complete loss.
Meanwhile, the parsley is healthy and simply awesome!
Plant  
Assessment 
 Parsley
Plants are extemely productive and healthy
Basil
 
Basil has been infected by Downy Mildew
All basil has been removed from the garden

Guerrilla Garden
[caption id="attachment_933" align="aligncenter" width="600"] I added compost around the zucchini plant stems in hopes of root formation - 8/15/16[/caption]

I have three zucchini plants in the guerrilla garden.  The plants looked pretty healthy this season, and I have been taking pictures of the flowers all season.  Unfortunately, I needed to keep my eye on the stalks. I noticed on 8/14/16 that the stalks were ripped apart.  Further exploration revealed that my plants had been attacked by squash borers.  I will be writing an article about this in the near future.  Here is a summary of the three zucchini plants in the guerrilla garden.
Plants 
Assessment 
Zucchini
Three plants planted in this space
Squash borers detected and removed on 8/14/16
Added compost around the stalks on 8/15/16 in an effort to assist the zucchini to grow new roots

Wicking Beds and Hybrid Rain Gutter Grow Systems
[caption id="attachment_936" align="aligncenter" width="600"] This is an older photo; the cucumbers are almost to the top of the trellis - 8/2/16[/caption]

The wicking bed and Hybrid Rain Gutter Grow System (HRGGS) are both showing their value and abilities.  I have a great crop of peppers, cucumbers and jalapenos coming from these two systems.  The plants in the wicking bed are VERY healthy and producing a bumper crop of green peppers and cucumbers!
Posts will be coming in the near future with my thoughts on each system and how to build these systems.
A summary of each system is provided below.
 System
Plant
Assessment
HRGGS
 Jalapenos
The surviving jalapenos are really productive
Many blossoms and fruit already
HRGGS
Green Peppers
Green peppers have struggled in the HRGGS due to soil conditions
Plants are growing and are starting to bear fruit
Not as healthy or productive as the wicking bed
HRGGS
Dill
Rabbit ate the seedlings down
Dill has rebounded nicely and is growing rapidly
Wicking Bed
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are simply loving the wicking bed
Plants are growing rapidly and almost as tall as the trellis
Each plant has blossoms
Harvested two 6" cucumbers already
Wicking Bed
Green Peppers
Green peppers are growing rapidly (almost 4' tall)
Several plants have multiple peppers on them
Growing the largest pepper I have ever grown with this system

Watch
If a picture is worth a 1000 words, then a video showing the gardens are worth millions. I have posted two videos on the Small Scale Life YouTube Channel (which you should subscribe to and share with your friends), but you can watch them right here.

Garden Update
https://youtu.be/3mFledD3efc
 
 
Wicking Bed/Hybrid Rain Gutter Grow System Update
https://youtu.be/2lMrk8Z-ngM
Listen
You can listen to the Garden Update Podcast by clicking on the player below.  You can also use the following link to listen to the Garden Update Podcast on iTunes.

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